Tonight at the O2 Institute Birmingham feels like it’s sitting right on the edge of something. As the penultimate night of the tour for Thrice, there’s a quiet anticipation in the room before a note is even played — the kind that suggests this isn’t just another date, but a band tightening everything before the final stretch. With Lysistrata opening, that tension is pulled in two very different directions.
Thrice @ O2 Institute Birmingham
Lysistrata don’t ease anyone in. From the first moments, it’s all nervous energy and sharp movement, the kind of set that feels unpredictable to shoot as much as it is to watch. Théo Guéneau barely stays still, his guitar work jumping between fractured riffs and more open, drifting passages, while Max Roy locks in with basslines that feel melodic but never comfortable. Behind them, Ben Amos Cooper drives everything forward with a restless precision — sharp snaps and sudden shifts that keep the lighting desk working just as hard as the band.
Vocals are shared, often overlapping, sometimes clashing, but always intentional. It creates a constant push and pull where nothing fully settles, and that tension becomes the focal point. Then Boot On A Thistle lands, and everything clicks. The jagged edges don’t disappear, but they align just enough for the crowd to grab onto. You can hear it — voices coming back at the stage — a moment where complexity turns into connection. It’s easily the standout of their set, not just for how it sounds, but for how it pulls the room in. By the time they leave the stage, there’s no sense of a gentle warm-up; the crowd feels sharper, more engaged, like they’ve been jolted into the night rather than guided into it.
When Thrice walk out, the shift is immediate, but it doesn’t feel like a reset — more like a refinement. There’s no wasted movement, no overstatement. Dustin Kensrue stands steady at centre stage, while Teppei Teranishi and brothers Eddie and Riley Breckenridge lock into a rhythm that feels completely dialled in.
From a visual standpoint, it’s a different world. Where Lysistrata thrived in chaos, Thrice lean into control. Lighting cues hit with precision, silhouettes hold just long enough, and every shift in intensity feels matched both sonically and visually. It’s the kind of set where you’re not chasing moments — they’re landing exactly where you expect them, just sharper.
There’s a noticeable intensity to the performance tonight. Not fatigue — something more focused. Being second to last on the run seems to push everything slightly further, like the band are squeezing every last drop out of the set. The newer material carries real weight live, sitting heavy in the room but never dragging.
Mid-set, The Artist In The Ambulance drops in — faster, brighter, instantly recognisable. It cuts through the atmosphere like a flash, but what stands out isn’t just the reaction — it’s the consistency of it. The crowd doesn’t spike simply because it’s an older track; they meet it with the same energy they’ve been giving everything else. From the pit to the balcony, it feels unified — not a crowd waiting for hits, but one fully locked into the whole set.
Kensrue’s voice remains a focal point throughout, shifting from restrained to full force without losing clarity, while Teranishi’s guitar work threads through everything with that familiar mix of precision and texture. The Breckenridge brothers keep it all grounded — a rhythm section that feels as solid as ever, even as the dynamics around them constantly shift.
What really lands tonight is the sense of flow. The set doesn’t feel segmented into eras — it moves. Older tracks don’t feel like throwbacks, newer ones don’t feel like interruptions. Everything sits together as part of the same arc, and the crowd follows it without hesitation.
By the time the night peaks, that early unpredictability from Lysistrata has given way to something far more controlled, but no less intense. With only one date left after Birmingham, there’s a sense of a band fully locked in — not winding down, but dialling everything to its sharpest point. For those in the room, it’s more than just catching a band with history. It’s watching one still in motion, and knowing you’ve caught them right before the final frame.
Live review ofThrice and Lysistrata @ O2 Institute Birmingham, by Henry Finnegan on 18th March 2026. Instagram: @finneganfoto | Facebook: @finneganfoto
Share Thing